Improved railway car-coupling



' No. 104.306. Patented June 14, 1870..

It PEIERS. PHOTO-LITHOGRAPNER. WASH NGTON u C amt swat ALEXIS HEBERT, or

MALONE, NEW YORK.

Letters Patent No. 104,306, dated June 14, 1870.

IMPROVED RAILWAY CAR-COUPLIN G.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of thesame.-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXIS HEBERI, of Malone, in the county of Franklinand State of New York, have invented a new'and improved Oar-Oouplin-g;and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact;description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawingwhich forms part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1represents a plan View of a constructed according to my invention;

Figure 2 represents an end view of the same; and

Figure 3 represents a horizontal section of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalfigures.

This invention consists of a self-locking car-coupling, of novelconstruction, whereby great convenience is afforded for detaching, andwhereby the same may be operated without entering between the platforms.

Referring to the accompanying drawing- A is the hunter of acar-coupling, provided, internally, with pivoted coupling-hooks, a b.

These are made to incline inwardly by a spring or springs, t, and tooperate, simultaneously with each other, by means of a notched arm, b,and abell-crank, b.

Secured to the ends of the pivot-rods ff; on the upper side of thebunter'B, is a horizontally-arranged- 1- )ck-shaft, passing through thehunter at a point hehind the pivoted ends of the hooks to a, andprovided with a crank-like arm, 0, which, by the backward turn ing ofthe shaft, is made to operate upon the rear arm or lever of thebell-crank I), so as to open the hooks.

Arranged at the opposite end of the rock-shaft from that on which thecrank c is carried, is an India-rubber spring, m.

Said spring, by yielding while the crank cis being exerted against thearm of the bell-crank, and reactcar-couplin g,

ing when said crank is brought opposite a cavity, s,

formed near the end of said arm, serves to retain said crank and arm inthat position, and the hook a, thereby open, until shifted by thebrakeman.

The crank or handle 0, when the coupling is being used upon a passengeror platform-car, may be operatcd by the-hand while the brakeman is onthe ground, or by the foot while he is on thccar. WVhen it isbeing usedon box cars, the rock-shaft B may have a rod attached thereto, reachingnearly to the top of the car, with its upper-end constructedsomethinglikea brake-shaft, and with a crank-like lever similar to theone represented at c in the drawing, so that the brakeman, in passingfrom car to car, may unshackle the car he wishes with his foot. Thiscoupling can be attachedito the tender of an engine, and supplied with asuitable connecting-rod, so arranged as to enable the cngincer tounshackle without moving from his place. p

O is a rod, secured to the rear end of the hunter.

Upon this rod, and within a suitable frame, E,is a rubber spring, D.

At the ends of this spring, and encircling the rod (J, are disks orwashers, g g, which are constructed or providedwith sleeves, h It.

These sleeves, extending outwardly through the frame E and along therod, are received between a. fixed collar, i, and a screw-nut, o, asshown, so that the spring D is acted upon by one or the other of thesaid disks or washers y, during the backward or forward jerks of thecars. Said spring D,instead of being constructed of a continuous pieceof rubber, may

'be composed of several sections, and with interposed metal washersbetween them, as shown, so that old springs from other castings may beused. The advantage gained by the use of the disksg g and their sleevesh h, is the more convenient removal of the spring D, or any of itssections, for repairs or other purpose, without unbolting the frame Efrom the car, the reniot'al of the not 0 and withdrawal of the rod 0being all that is necessary.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to have secured by LettersPatent, is-

p The coupling-hooks a (1., the notched arm I), and bell-crank b, andthe cranked rock-shaft B, combined for operation substantially as hereinillescribed.

11B ALEXIS HEBEBI.

mark.

\Vit-nesses W. W. PADDOOK,

RrcHD. G. Foo'rn, Ll). Hnnnnr.

